Qatar's 'Shadow Government' Takes Center Stage In Far-Right Rhetoric, Fueling Islamophobic Frenzy
The tiny Gulf state has somehow managed to occupy an inordinate amount of space in the fevered imagination of a growing coterie of far-right influencers. They paint Qatar as the mastermind behind various global conspiracies, ranging from orchestrating student protests and driving immigration policies to manipulating US diplomacy and advancing what they claim is the "Islamification" of the West.
This isn't just a case of recycled Islamophobia, but rather a coordinated influence campaign that weaponizes pre-existing fears to undermine Qatar's mediation role in Gaza, weaken its relationship with Washington, and resurrect the long-debunked "Eurabia" fantasy. This latter trope posits that European elites secretly colluded with Arab states to Islamize Western civilization.
Two figures stand out as exemplars of this far-right fixation: Laura Loomer and Tommy Robinson. Both have histories of Islamophobic activism, but Loomer's recent obsession with Qatar appears to be a relatively new development. Since May 2025, she has mentioned the country over 460 times on X – a staggering number that reflects her newfound hatred for Qatar.
Loomer claims that Qatar is secretly funding everything from Black Lives Matter to Islamic violence in America. She even described as "invaders" injured Palestinian children being flown for medical treatment to the US on a Qatar Airways flight. Her fixation isn't limited to conservative figures, however – she's also directed ire at liberal pundits like Tucker Carlson and podcaster Theo Von.
Robinson, a convicted fraudster with ties to pro-Israel think tanks, has recently launched an "F*ck Qatar" campaign. He accuses Qatar of funding the destruction of the United Kingdom and has even met with Israel's Minister of Diaspora Affairs, Amichai Chikli, in recent weeks.
This anti-Qatar narrative serves multiple agendas, from ideological to geopolitical and domestic political calculations. By painting Qatar as the nucleus of a global Islamist plot, far-right activists can position themselves as defenders of Western civilization against so-called Islamic extremism. The result is an absurd conspiracy theory designed to appeal to the Republican Party's growing affinity for such theories.
In reality, Qatar's foreign policy, like any state's, is subject to scrutiny – but not by this shadow government of far-right influencers and their ilk.
The tiny Gulf state has somehow managed to occupy an inordinate amount of space in the fevered imagination of a growing coterie of far-right influencers. They paint Qatar as the mastermind behind various global conspiracies, ranging from orchestrating student protests and driving immigration policies to manipulating US diplomacy and advancing what they claim is the "Islamification" of the West.
This isn't just a case of recycled Islamophobia, but rather a coordinated influence campaign that weaponizes pre-existing fears to undermine Qatar's mediation role in Gaza, weaken its relationship with Washington, and resurrect the long-debunked "Eurabia" fantasy. This latter trope posits that European elites secretly colluded with Arab states to Islamize Western civilization.
Two figures stand out as exemplars of this far-right fixation: Laura Loomer and Tommy Robinson. Both have histories of Islamophobic activism, but Loomer's recent obsession with Qatar appears to be a relatively new development. Since May 2025, she has mentioned the country over 460 times on X – a staggering number that reflects her newfound hatred for Qatar.
Loomer claims that Qatar is secretly funding everything from Black Lives Matter to Islamic violence in America. She even described as "invaders" injured Palestinian children being flown for medical treatment to the US on a Qatar Airways flight. Her fixation isn't limited to conservative figures, however – she's also directed ire at liberal pundits like Tucker Carlson and podcaster Theo Von.
Robinson, a convicted fraudster with ties to pro-Israel think tanks, has recently launched an "F*ck Qatar" campaign. He accuses Qatar of funding the destruction of the United Kingdom and has even met with Israel's Minister of Diaspora Affairs, Amichai Chikli, in recent weeks.
This anti-Qatar narrative serves multiple agendas, from ideological to geopolitical and domestic political calculations. By painting Qatar as the nucleus of a global Islamist plot, far-right activists can position themselves as defenders of Western civilization against so-called Islamic extremism. The result is an absurd conspiracy theory designed to appeal to the Republican Party's growing affinity for such theories.
In reality, Qatar's foreign policy, like any state's, is subject to scrutiny – but not by this shadow government of far-right influencers and their ilk.